Government has officially confirmed that India will be jumping from BSIV to BSVI emission norms from April 1, 2020. This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Mr Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways and Shipping. Also present were Mr Anant Geete, Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Mr Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Mr Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

This bold move from BSIV to BSVI completely leapfrogs BSV which experts have often claimed to be a key stage in the evolution of engines and emission norms. Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has also confirmed BSVI compliant fuel will be available pan-India from April 2020. While for petroleum companies the jump seems easy enough with investment rounding up to similar figures for BSV and BSVI, the onus now shifts to OEMs who have the bulk of the work lying ahead.

It must be noted here that the Auto Fuel Policy had earlier recommended the implementation of BSVI emission norms only by 2024. This had been advanced earlier to April 2021 and now to April 2020.

The government expects that manufacturers with their technical competence and continuous commitment to the environment will accept and fully support the decision… however, we believe there will be criticism and manufacturers will push for a delay in this! Overall, we support the government’s decision and let us hope it doesn’t result in a major price increase across vehicles…